


Lightening the load

by glim



Series: sleeping lessons [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Academia, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Comfort Sex, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 17:29:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15756429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glim/pseuds/glim
Summary: "Your week sounds a lot worse than mine. I just had to fight sarcastic, sentient, and evil techbots. How long have you been trying to become one with your sofa?"Bucky rubs both hands over his face and reaches over to grab Steve's left wrist to check his watch. "Hm. Three hours? Maybe? I almost succeeded, but my guy came home from work..."





	Lightening the load

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "[Paint or Pollen](https://youtu.be/PuPGMvMvnSE)" by Blind Pilot.

Bucky's face down on the sofa when the door to his apartment opens. His hair's a tangle in front of his eyes, so he can't see who walked in, but he can tell from the footsteps and the quiet thud of an overnight bag against the wall that it's Steve, just back from a week long mission. The only options are the other people who have keys, and his mama would call first, Becca would make a ton of noise, so, yeah: Steve. Bucky thinks about moving, then buries himself further into the pillows when Steve sits down on the edge of the sofa. If Steve thinks he's asleep, maybe he'll try and curl himself in next to Bucky, heavy and warm and secure. 

"Hey..." Steve's hand rests at the small of Bucky's back and he rubs gently. He keeps rubbing when Bucky sighs into the touch and peers up at Steve through his messy hair. "Are you okay?" 

Bucky shrugs. He'd tried taking a frustration nap, but had ended up with a vague, headachy feeling behind his eyes instead. "Yeah?"

"That wasn't reassuring at all, Buck." Steve shifts closer, then starts to stroke Bucky's hair back of his face. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"Yeah... I had a rough week, that's all." Bucky moves in a little closer to Steve, and doesn't stop Steve from combing his fingers through Bucky's hair or from stroking his forehead. "How was work, honey?" 

That makes Steve laugh a little bit. "Good. Well, as good as can be expected. I cleaned up at the Tower, and we already had our debrief, so I'm all yours for the weekend." 

And that makes Bucky smile, then pull himself to sit up on the sofa next to Steve. He presses his face into Steve's shoulder almost immediately, though, and gets his arms around Steve. "Do you want to hear about my week?" 

"Sure..." 

Bucky groans. 

"Okay, maybe I don't...?" 

Bucky groans again, but snags a hair tie off his wrist and then pulls his hair back off his face into a loose ponytail. "Teaching, but I have the biggest lecture class this semester so, you know, either everyone or noone shows up on any given day. I can _tell_ only two-thirds of them logged into the online course site, so that's not at all reassuring. Handed in a draft of my third dissertation chapter, but haven't heard back from _anyone_ on my committee, never mind that's supposed to be the one that gets turned into a journal article--their idea, not mine. Oh, and I gave that talk at the library, but the projector and the photocopier broke. Steven, _they both broke_. Within ten minutes of each other right before my talk. How was I supposed to know I should've made a tri-fold display instead?" 

"Bucky, _breathe_. God, okay." Steve laughs again, then leans in and kisses Bucky on the cheek. "Your week sounds a lot worse than mine. I just had to fight sarcastic, sentient, and evil techbots. How long have you been trying to become one with your sofa?" 

Bucky rubs both hands over his face and reaches over to grab Steve's left wrist to check his watch. "Hm. Three hours? Maybe? I almost succeeded, but my guy came home from work..." 

"You feel like leaving the sofa of despair and getting dinner? Someplace far, far away from campus?" Steve's arm slides around Bucky's waist and he kisses Bucky on the cheek again. 

Bucky considers, looks back at the pillows and blankets on the sofa, and then back at Steve. "How far?" 

Steve thinks for a minute. "Manhattan? Is that far enough? You like that taco place..." 

"You just came from there... I don't need tacos from Manhattan. What if we we get something by your place then stay the night," Bucky says, and this time he leans in to press a kiss to Steve's shoulder. "You can console me and remind me why I made this life choice."

"Because you're good at it? Also, I could read your dissertation chapter?" Steve smiles, all sweet and genuine, then looks a little crestfallen when Bucky glares him. "What?" 

"Last time you did that, I got the chapter back with a flock of birds doodled in half the margins and every note in the margin said 'GOOD!'" 

"It _was_ good." Steve looks disappointed, but shakes his head when Bucky continues to glare at him. "Fine, I'm off dissertation duty. But I can do dinner, and maybe a backrub afterwards." 

"Yeah, you can do that alright, Stevie." Bucky leans up to kiss the sigh from Steve's lips at the nickname, and then kisses him again when he feels some of the tension and frustration ebb from his system. "God, I missed you." 

Steve ducks his head, shy for a moment, then leans in and returns the kisses that Bucky's giving him, one right after the other. "I missed you, too, Buck. I hate when I don't have any way to contact you for that long." 

"I sent you a bunch of texts you didn't read yet," Bucky murmurs. When Steve gets shy again, he cups his palm against Steve's cheek and kisses his lips really softly. "My old-fashioned guy..." 

"Yeah, alright, I can be that, too..." Steve turns to nuzzle against Bucky's hand. His hair's a little longer on top again, and he's wearing the plaid shirt and leather jacket that does make him a look a little old-fashioned, but soft and sweet, too. "We can stay here, if you want?"

"Let's go back to your place. Take your bike, pick up sandwiches or whatever you want. You probably want some time at home." 

"With you, that's right. I don't care if it's here or back at my apartment." 

This time, it's Bucky's turn to feel himself go bashful with emotion; he rarely does so, and it seems he only does around Steve, when Steve's being so open and needy. It makes Bucky kiss Steve again, and then again, and hold him really close until he draws a soft, breathless sigh from Steve at the end of a kiss. 

"I need to get away from work and you need to go home." Bucky rests his forehead against Steve's and lets their lips brush against each other in a few more aimless kisses. 

Steve gives a small nod and tugs Bucky up off the sofa; he keeps his arm around Bucky's waist as they walk to the bedroom, where Bucky stuffs some clothes and books into a backpack. When Bucky pulls a flannel, then a jacket on with his wrinkled tee shirt and jeans, a frown creases between Steve's eyebrows. 

"Maybe you should wear my jacket..." Steve starts to shrug out of his leather jacket and pauses when Bucky returns the frown. "It's chilly outside, and worse on the bike--" 

Because Steve actually starts to look worried about him, Bucky acquiesces. Letting Steve worry a little will make it easier later, when Bucky will want to map his hands over Steve's body and check to see how much that last mission has taken out of him. 

Between the sharp, chilly air outside and the scent of Steve's body wrapped around his, the bike ride dispels the last of Bucky's tension headache. Steve gets them soup and sandwiches and crumb cake for dinner, which they eat on the sofa, facing each other, legs tangled as they talk about the week they spent apart. About a half hour after they finish and have wandered through the tv channels, Steve gets that sweet, soft look on his face again. 

"I promised you a back rub." He nudges his foot against Bucky's leg, smiling when Bucky eases into the touch. 

"You did. Should I take you up on that? Maybe in the bedroom?" Bucky stretches on the sofa, so his feet end up in Steve's lap, and he finds himself smiling, too, at the thought of Steve's hands all over his body. 

When they get to the bedroom, Steve's so careful with him, so gentle and warm, that Bucky nearly buries himself right that warmth as soon as Steve tugs him out of his flannel and tee shirt. He presses his lips to Bucky's shoulder then into the dip of his collarbone, nuzzling softly until he reaches around to pull Bucky's hair loose from the elastic. One hand slides into Bucky's hair to cup the back of his head and the other rests at his hip, drawing him into a kiss. 

"I'm never getting that buck rub at this rate," Bucky murmurs against Steve's lips. He doesn't pull away, but groans into the full, open-mouth kiss Steve gives him. 

"But... you're getting a lot of kisses..." Steve's fingers move against Bucky's scalp, massaging away the last remnants of tension and headache, and he catches Bucky's mouth against his own when Bucky gives a little sigh. "I'll make sure you get both." 

Steve keeps that promise. Once he helps Bucky out of the rest of his clothes and settles on to the bed next to Bucky, still in his boxers, Steve leans in and trails kisses from the point of Bucky's shoulder to the small of his back. He nuzzles against the dip at the base of Bucky's spine and laughs when Bucky arches up into the touch. 

"Soon..." Steve wraps his palm around Bucky's hip to nudge him back down to the mattress, then runs both hands up Bucky's sides to start rubbing his shoulders. 

That's the warmth that Bucky does let himself sink right into. Not only the feel of Steve's strong hands working their way over his shoulders and back, but also the sound of Steve's breathing, steady and even, and the sheer warmth and closeness of his body. He sinks into the warmth and lets it fill him, lets arousal come over him in waves each time Steve leans close enough for skin-to-skin contact, each time Steve's voice rumbles low and fond over Bucky's shoulder or against his back. 

By the time Steve wraps his hand around Bucky's hip again, Bucky's warm all over and half-hard with need and slow-uncoiling arousal. He wants Steve close to him, as close as possible, and for as long as possible. He arches up when Steve's fingers tighten around his hip, and the sound that comes from his chest at the brush of Steve's cock against him is low and deep and desperate. 

"I'll take care of you," Steve says, and his own voice is a rough whisper. "All I've wanted today was just take _such_ good care of you..." 

"... always do," Bucky says. 

They stay close and still for a few moments, then Steve moves away to rifle through the night table drawer. When he moves back in close to Bucky, he slides slick fingers over Bucky to get him hard and needy, and teases him with slow, gentle touches until his breath is ragged. 

Steve takes his time; presses his fingers inside Bucky, presses kisses to his shoulders and his back, presses himself inside Bucky only when he knows how much Bucky needs and wants this sort of closeness. 

Bucky comes with Steve buried inside him, with Steve's body wrapped around his, sunk deep into the heat of his skin and breath and heartbeat. The last wave of longing comes over him in a rush, engulfs him, and leaves him filled with warmth. 

"I'm sorry you had such a bad week," Steve murmurs later. He rubs his face into Bucky's hair and keeps Bucky close, curled against him, and gives a soft sound of lazy satisfaction when Bucky strokes his chest. "I need to read your texts." 

"Later on. At least it's over and you're home. We'll have a good weekend together." Bucky strokes over Steve's chest again down to his stomach and continues with the warm, affectionate touching. Soon, he'll reach across Steve for his phone and he'll put on some music and map his hands over Steve as he planned before, to look for all the small places that he needs to warm with his own touch.


End file.
